Hi! My name is Cathy
Ledsome and I am 28 years old. I have been happily married to Mike for 2 1/2
years. (We dated for 5 years before we got married.) We have a
sweet and demanding dog named Shelby (7 1/2 yr. Dalmatian). She thinks
she is a person! :-) I teach second grade at an elementary school that
is about 10 minutes from our house. I am the "team leader" so
I have 6 teachers that I "lead". I love teaching and I think
the kids have kept me going during the past couple of years. This spring
I will be taking my last 2 classes toward my Master's Degree. (Reading
is my specialty.)

I have had Still's Disease
for 2 1/2 years. The symptoms first began in late March, 1997.
During March of that year, I was a little stressed out due to the fact that
I was planning a wedding, building a house, teaching, and my Dad was very
sick with a heart condition. I suppose the stress may have helped
trigger the disease. When the symptoms began, I thought I had the flu
and I couldn't shake the feeling. Then I started to have joint
pain that would migrate from one joint to the next in no specific
pattern. The week of my wedding I was in so much pain I walked very
slowly and had trouble turning my head. I went back to the doctor who
told me it was in my head, but they would do blood work just to make sure.
I hate to admit that I was thrilled to have the SED rate come back elevated.
(It wasn't in my head!) The doctor gave me a steroid pack for the
wedding and honeymoon so I felt great. (I did break 2 toes on the
second night of our honeymoon, but that is another innocent story all in
itself!)

During the next couple of
months, I traveled from doctor to doctor without a formal diagnosis.
Finally, the spiking fevers began in early October and then I
started to have some swelling in my knee and elbow. I was finally
diagnosed in mid October. I was initially put on Gold shots, but they
did not work and I ended up hospitalized in November. I was switched
to Methotrexate and I have done fairly well since then.

The meds seem to control a
lot of the pain, but the damage continues. I had to have both my left
hip replaced in June and I just had my right hip replaced in December.
The only other problem that I have been having lately is a terrible stomach
problem! I am not sure about what is causing it! It is terrible
and it is interfering with my life! I work hard to try to keep a
positive attitude about my life and the disease.

I am looking forward to
getting to know the members of this support group! Thank you in
advance! I can be reached at mcledsome@mindspring.com

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This page was last updated on January 17, 2001